John Dennis (California)

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

John Dennis

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 8, 2022

Personal

Birthplace

Jersey City, N.J.

Profession

Real estate developer

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Twitter

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John Dennis (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent California's 11th Congressional District. He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Biography

John Dennis was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, and lives in San Francisco, California. Dennis earned a degree in business administration from Fordham University in 1985. His career experience includes working as a real estate developer.

Elections

2022

See also: California's 11th Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House California District 11

Incumbent Nancy Pelosi defeated John Dennis in the general election for U.S. House California District 11 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Nancy Pelosi (D)	84.0	220,848
		John Dennis (R)	16.0	42,217

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 263,065
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House California District 11

The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. House California District 11 on June 7, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Nancy Pelosi (D)	71.7	133,798
✔		John Dennis (R)	10.7	20,054
		Shahid Buttar (D)	10.4	19,471
	Submit photo	Eve Del Castello (R)	3.9	7,319
		Jeffrey Phillips (D)	1.9	3,595
		Bianca Von Krieg (D)	1.3	2,499

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 186,736
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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2020

See also: California's 12th Congressional District election, 2020

General election

General election for U.S. House California District 12

Incumbent Nancy Pelosi defeated Shahid Buttar in the general election for U.S. House California District 12 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Nancy Pelosi (D)	77.6	281,776
		Shahid Buttar (D)	22.4	81,174

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 362,950
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House California District 12

The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. House California District 12 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Nancy Pelosi (D)	74.0	190,590
✔		Shahid Buttar (D)	13.0	33,344
		John Dennis (R)	7.7	19,883
		Tom Gallagher (D)	2.0	5,094
		DeAnna Lorraine (R)	1.8	4,635
		Agatha Bacelar (D)	1.5	3,890

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 257,436
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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2018

See also: Municipal elections in San Francisco, California (2018)

General election

General election for San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 2

Incumbent Catherine Stefani defeated Nick Josefowitz, John Dennis, and Schuyler Hudak in the general election for San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 2 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Catherine Stefani (Nonpartisan)	51.9	17,340
	Submit photo	Nick Josefowitz (Nonpartisan)	48.1	16,061
		John Dennis (Nonpartisan)	0.0	0
		Schuyler Hudak (Nonpartisan)	0.0	0

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 33,401
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Ranked-choice voting rounds

Full primary results may be viewed by clicking [show] at the right.

San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 2 General Pass 1, 2018 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Nonpartisan Catherine Stefani Incumbent 40.82% 14,415      Nonpartisan Nick Josefowitz 38.64% 13,644      Nonpartisan Schuyler Hudak 11.74% 4,145      Nonpartisan John Dennis 8.80% 3,108 Write-in votes 0% 0 Total Votes 35,312 Source: The City and County of San Francisco, "RCV Results Report Board of Supervisors, District 2," accessed March 6, 2019 San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 2 General Pass 2, 2018 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Nonpartisan Catherine Stefani Incumbent 43.77% 15,009      Nonpartisan Nick Josefowitz 41.83% 14,342      Nonpartisan Schuyler Hudak 14.40% 4,938      Nonpartisan John Dennis 8.80% 3,108 Write-in votes 0% 0 Total Votes 37,397 Source: The City and County of San Francisco, "RCV Results Report Board of Supervisors, District 2," accessed March 6, 2019

2014

See also: California's 12th Congressional District elections, 2014

Dennis ran in the 2014 election for the U.S. House to represent California's 12th District. Dennis and incumbent Nancy Pelosi (D) advanced past the blanket primary on June 3, 2014, defeating David Peterson (D), Michael Steger (D), Barry Hermanson (G), Frank Lara (P&F), Desmond Thorsson (I) and Jim Welles (I). Dennis was then defeated in the general election on November 4, 2014.

U.S. House, California District 12 General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Nancy Pelosi Incumbent	83.3%	160,067
	Republican	John Dennis	16.7%	32,197
Total Votes				192,264
Source: California Secretary of State

U.S. House, California District 12 Primary, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Nancy Pelosi Incumbent	73.6%	79,816
	Republican	John Dennis	11.9%	12,922
	Green	Barry Hermanson	5.7%	6,156
	Democratic	David Peterson	3.5%	3,774
	Peace and Freedom	Frank Lara	1.9%	2,107
	Democratic	Michael Steger	1.4%	1,514
	Independent	Desmond Thorsson	1.2%	1,270
	Independent	Jim Welles	0.8%	879
Total Votes				108,438
Source: California Secretary of State

2012

October 2012 Campaign Ad

See also: California's 12th Congressional District elections, 2012

Dennis ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House to represent California's 12th District. He and district 8 incumbent Nancy Pelosi (D) advanced past the blanket primary on June 5, 2012, defeating David Peterson (D), Summer Justice Shields (D), Americo Artura Diaz (D) and Barry Hermanson (G). They faced off in the November 6, 2012, general election and Pelosi won.

U.S. House, California District 12 General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Nancy Pelosi Incumbent	85.1%	253,709
	Republican	John Dennis	14.9%	44,478
Total Votes				298,187
Source: California Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

John Dennis did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Dennis' campaign website stated the following:

“	We need government to work FOR THE PEOPLE. That starts by removing the lockdowns, reducing burdensome regulations, lowering taxes and fostering policies that allow people to flourish and enjoy the American Dream, not perpetuate government dependency on generations of Americans. Spending & Debt We frequently hear about “existential” threats to our Republic. I believe the most real, the most ominous threat is federal overspending and its consequential growth in federal debt. Foreign Policy The founders never intended for the United States to be the policemen of the world. I support a strong national defense. I do not support unnecessary wars, undeclared wars and unending wars. Immigration In the short term, I support limiting legal immigration as a counterbalance to the generous legal immigration policy of the U.S. for the past many decades. Restricting legal immigration would allow for the assimilation of recent immigrants.	”
—John Dennis' campaign website (2022)

2020

John Dennis did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2014

Dennis' campaign website listed the following issues:

“ Healthcare: "At the time Obamacare passed into law, the federal government accounted for 53% of all healthcare spending. When adding in state, county, municipal and other government programs, it is safe to say that governments in the U.S. accounted for 60% of healthcare spending." Foreign Policy: "Few can argue that American foreign policy, in almost any instance, has been successful in decades. From unconstitutional incursions, to covert interventions around the globe, Washington’s policies have cost blood and treasure while making Americans less safe. Given its geographic position and economic power, the United States is not threatened, certainly not existentially, by any other country or organization on Earth." Civil Liberties: "The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution requires that searches of property and effects have a warrant, issued by a judge, based on probable cause. NSA programs such as PRISM, treat ALL Americans as potential suspects. Probable cause has no meaning if applied to an entire people." Monetary Policy: "The Federal Reserve gets its power via inflation, effectively using a back door into your bank accounts and wallets to direct the economy as it sees fit, frequently to the advantage of insiders and the connected." Jobs & Economy: "The American economy, and the world economy for that matter, is so out of balance that we can expect another correction." ” —John Dennis' campaign website, http://www.johndennisforcongress.com/issues

2012

Dennis' campaign website listed the following issues:

“ Racism Excerpt: "Racism is the lowest form of social discourse and interaction. Governments have historically institutionalized racism through legal preference and advantages to certain groups, at the expense of others." Liberty & Privacy Excerpt: "The Constitution was written to restrict the actions of the government, not individuals. That is why we call ours a limited government. Unfortunately, American political vocabulary is filled with a lexicon of different types of liberty: civil liberty, economic liberty, sexual liberty, financial liberty, etc." Inflation Excerpt: "In government financing, it is spending that counts. That’s not to say that taxes don’t matter; nothing could be farther from the truth. But spending is critical to contain because governments, especially when they control money creation as is the case in the U.S., will finance spending through borrowing or the printing press (inflation). Inflation is especially dangerous because it is a back door tax that eats away purchasing power now and for some time to come." Foreign Policy Excerpt: "War must be used only in retaliation or under threat of imminent attack. When, as a nation, we make a decision to go to war the men and woman in our armed services will lose life and limb. Our defenders put their lives at risk when they take an oath to serve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." Federal Reserve Excerpt: "The Federal Reserve made the bailouts of banks and insurance companies possible, in spite of the overwhelming public demand against doing so. Now more Americans are learning how the Federal Reserve— a public/private bank cartel — works, and why it’s time to rethink our monetary system." ”

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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John Dennis campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2022	U.S. House California District 11	Lost general	$998,254	$941,302
2020	U.S. House California District 12	Lost primary	$0	N/A**
Grand total			$998,254	$941,302
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.

Email editor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this biography.

Dennis and his wife, Heather, have one child.

See also

2022 Elections

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Government

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Newsletters

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Candidate

U.S. House California District 11

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Footnotes

[show]

California's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Alex Padilla (D)

Adam Schiff (D)

Representatives

District 1

Doug LaMalfa (R)

District 2

Jared Huffman (D)

District 3

Kevin Kiley (R)

District 4

Mike Thompson (D)

District 5

Tom McClintock (R)

District 6

Ami Bera (D)

District 7

Doris Matsui (D)

District 8

John Garamendi (D)

District 9

Josh Harder (D)

District 10

Mark DeSaulnier (D)

District 11

Nancy Pelosi (D)

District 12

Lateefah Simon (D)

District 13

Adam Gray (D)

District 14

Eric Swalwell (D)

District 15

Kevin Mullin (D)

District 16

Sam Liccardo (D)

District 17

Ro Khanna (D)

District 18

Zoe Lofgren (D)

District 19

Jimmy Panetta (D)

District 20

Vince Fong (R)

District 21

Jim Costa (D)

District 22

David Valadao (R)

District 23

Jay Obernolte (R)

District 24

Salud Carbajal (D)

District 25

Raul Ruiz (D)

District 26

Julia Brownley (D)

District 27

George Whitesides (D)

District 28

Judy Chu (D)

District 29

Luz Rivas (D)

District 30

Laura Friedman (D)

District 31

Gil Cisneros (D)

District 32

Brad Sherman (D)

District 33

Pete Aguilar (D)

District 34

Jimmy Gomez (D)

District 35

Norma Torres (D)

District 36

Ted Lieu (D)

District 37

Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D)

District 38

Linda Sánchez (D)

District 39

Mark Takano (D)

District 40

Young Kim (R)

District 41

Ken Calvert (R)

District 42

Robert Garcia (D)

District 43

Maxine Waters (D)

District 44

Nanette Barragán (D)

District 45

Derek Tran (D)

District 46

Lou Correa (D)

District 47

Dave Min (D)

District 48

Darrell Issa (R)

District 49

Mike Levin (D)

District 50

Scott Peters (D)

District 51

Sara Jacobs (D)

District 52

Juan Vargas (D)

Democratic Party (45)

Republican Party (9)